Herman Russell Receives the GMSDC Blue Legend Award

Herman J. Russell, one of Atlanta’s most beloved business leaders, was honored with the 2012 Blue Legend Award at the 30th annual Spirit of Alliance Awards on September 21st. Hosted by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC), the Spirit of Alliance Awards recognize excellence in small business development and supplier diversity.

Mr. Russell, a fixture in the Atlanta business community for over sixty years, is the patriarch of a construction, real estate and property management empire that has transformed the skylines of Atlanta and cities all over America. He joins a select group of prominent Blue Legend Award winners from years past, a list that includes Mayor Maynard Jackson, Senator Sam Nunn and Congressman John Lewis.

The Blue Legend Award is the highlight of the Spirit of Alliance gala every year. Created to honor trailblazers who have shown extraordinary courage in the face of various obstacles, it recognizes an exemplary leader whose lifetime of service has leveled the playing field for ethnic minorities in Georgia’s business community and elsewhere.

While best known for his contributions to the construction industry, Mr. Russell is also a generous philanthropist who lends his support to a number of important causes, and a quiet statesman who played an active role in the Civil Rights Movement alongside such Atlanta icons as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. “Herman Russell epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the heart of what we do,” says GMSDC President and CEO Stacey Key. “His legacy of selfless service and sustained excellence are a tremendous example of what the Spirit of Alliance is all about.”

The GMSDC has been facilitating relationships between small business owners and Georgia’s corporations for almost 40 years. The Spirit of Alliance Awards were created in 1982 to recognize Minority Business enterprise (MBE) firms, corporations and individuals who set the pace in supply chain management and equal opportunity in business. Presented this year by Premier Sponsors The Coca-Cola Company and Georgia Power, the 2012 gala brought together all facets of the Georgia business community to celebrate excellence and high achievement in small business development. For more information, visit gmsdc.org.